Development and transformation of social structures
Civilization:
Name: Kriz Villapando
Theme
How does this theme apply to your civilization?
Gender roles and relations
Patriarchal society - Men Vs. Women:
1. Indian society placed value on the subordination of woman.
2. Men dominated society. Priests, warriors, and tribal chiefs were male and Aryans recognized descent through male line. Moreover, only men could: inherit property (unless there was no male heir to a family), have priestly responsibilities, learn the Vedas, and have formal education in Sanskrit. It was rare for women to learn the Vedas or have formal education in Sanskrit.
3. Lawbook of Manu - a work that covered proper moral behavior and social relationships. It was advised that men should treat women with honor and respect while women should subject themselves to the guidance of principle men in their lives. Also, women's duties were to bear children and maintain their household.
4. Sati - an Indian custom where a widow would join her deceased husband by throwing herself voluntarily onto his funeral pyre. This practice expressed how women depended on their men.
Family and kinship
Racial and ethnic constructions
Varna - "Color"
1. The differences between Dravidians and Aryans perhaps influenced Aryans to base social distinctions on Aryan/Dravidian ancestry.
2. Aryans would refer to themselves as "wheat-colored" whereas Dravidians were darker-skinned.
Social and economic classes
Caste and Varna - roles of an individual or group were determined by the caste system, social classes of hereditary and unchangeable status, which caused for the existence of superiority and inferiority in society. The caste system worked to accommodate social change, allowed foreign peoples to find their place in Indian society, and served as a principal foundation of social stability.
1. Arryans recognized four main varnas: priests (brahmins); warriors and aristocrats (kshatriyas); cultivators, artisans, and merchants (vaishyas); landless peasants and serfs (shudras); later - the untouchables, which were people who were given the dirty work (butchering animals/handling dead bodies)
2. According to a late hymn of the Rig Veda, the four varnas were created by gods, producing brahmins and kshatriyas as the most honorable human groups that would lead their society.
3. Arryans divided into subcastes (jati): people who worked at the same time or had similar tasks in an area, belonged to the same subcaste. Their offspring joined in both occupation and sati membership. Members of jati ate with one another, intermarried, and attended to those who became sick or fell on hard times.
Development and transformation of social structures
Civilization:
Name: Kriz Villapando
- Patriarchal society - Men Vs. Women:
1. Indian society placed value on the subordination of woman.2. Men dominated society. Priests, warriors, and tribal chiefs were male and Aryans recognized descent through male line. Moreover, only men could: inherit property (unless there was no male heir to a family), have priestly responsibilities, learn the Vedas, and have formal education in Sanskrit. It was rare for women to learn the Vedas or have formal education in Sanskrit.
3. Lawbook of Manu - a work that covered proper moral behavior and social relationships. It was advised that men should treat women with honor and respect while women should subject themselves to the guidance of principle men in their lives. Also, women's duties were to bear children and maintain their household.
4. Sati - an Indian custom where a widow would join her deceased husband by throwing herself voluntarily onto his funeral pyre. This practice expressed how women depended on their men.
1. The differences between Dravidians and Aryans perhaps influenced Aryans to base social distinctions on Aryan/Dravidian ancestry.
2. Aryans would refer to themselves as "wheat-colored" whereas Dravidians were darker-skinned.
- Caste and Varna - roles of an individual or group were determined by the caste system, social classes of hereditary and unchangeable status, which caused for the existence of superiority and inferiority in society. The caste system worked to accommodate social change, allowed foreign peoples to find their place in Indian society, and served as a principal foundation of social stability.
1. Arryans recognized four main varnas: priests (brahmins); warriors and aristocrats (kshatriyas); cultivators, artisans, and merchants (vaishyas); landless peasants and serfs (shudras); later - the untouchables, which were people who were given the dirty work (butchering animals/handling dead bodies)2. According to a late hymn of the Rig Veda, the four varnas were created by gods, producing brahmins and kshatriyas as the most honorable human groups that would lead their society.
3. Arryans divided into subcastes (jati): people who worked at the same time or had similar tasks in an area, belonged to the same subcaste. Their offspring joined in both occupation and sati membership. Members of jati ate with one another, intermarried, and attended to those who became sick or fell on hard times.